Little Fellows
by DeadWizardGod
Summary: The Fellowship wake up to find their smallest members even smaller. One-Shot.


The day before was completely normal. They had travelled over hills and valleys, only stopping for breakfast, dinner and when the Hobbits were unable to cross a small river, the jump being too far for them. After making camp in a wide cave, the Halflings curling up together, Aragorn taking the first watch, all eight of the others had fallen asleep.  
They were woken up by a scream.  
The taller members of the fellowship were on their feet in a second. They all exchanged glances in confusion and worry. There had been an elf, dwarf or man guarding the cave the whole night; none of them had seen anything that could have frightened the youngest Hobbit so. As Pippin began to scream, waking up his kinsmen and causing their terror to add to the noise, the rest of the Company noticed one thing about the voices. Although they were recognisably the Hobbits, they were also different. Slightly higher pitched, younger.  
It was Legolas who stepped forward and pulled the blankets off the small ones, cutting their noise as they stared up at the rest of their Fellowship.  
Sam had barely changed but there was more innocence and youth on his face than before. Frodo, sat next to him, had gained even more youth and was shorter, probably coming halfway between knee and hip on a full grown man. Merry, next to his cousin, was shorter still, barely reaching knee height. His hear was longer and reached his shoulder. Pippin, on the end, had drawn the short straw. While he cousins showed Hobbit-teen and child years, he was most definitely a toddler. About half Merry's height, his eyes were big enough to fill half his face and he seemed to have trouble closing his mouth.  
Their clothes seemed to have shrunk with them but the blankets didn't, almost drowning the younger two.  
'Gandalf?' Sam said, glancing from face to face. His eyes kept flickering back to the other Hobbits, obviously all as confused as the taller ones. 'What's going on?'  
The old wizard sighed. 'I don't know. I will try to find out but it will take a while.' He retreated to the back of the cave, nodding to Aragorn as he left. The ranger turned to the Halflings, smiling slightly.  
'We might as well have some food while we wait for him to sort things out.'  
He pulled some bread out of his pack, gesturing for the others to come forward and eat. The older three managed to walk over without trouble but Pippin, who at the age of 4 (the age he was currently trapped) had not yet learned to walk or talk, stood up on shaky legs, took one step forward and fell over.  
Frodo and Sam both let out small laughter as Merry went to help his cousin up. The younger Hobbit was blushing furiously as he was sat down on his best friends lap. Merry glared over Pippin's head at the others.  
'Yeave him ayone.'  
Merry's eyes widened at the words that left his lips. Frodo's laughter intensified as his cousin turned the same shade of red as the toddler in his lap.  
'I forgot about that!' Sam grinned. 'It took him years to get rid of that lisp.'  
Gimli and Boromir laughed as the younger Hobbits took their food in silence. Pippin turned and whispered something to Merry. The child frowned and whispered back. Pippin scowled and whispered in Frodo's ear instead. The teen chuckled.  
'Pippin is wondering if he can have some more.'  
Legolas smirked. The young Halfling asked that every day. 'And why can't Pippin ask himself.'  
Merry thought for a second. 'Because Pip's voice is worse than mine.' He grinned at finding a sentence without L's.  
Legolas chuckled and passed more bread over. Frodo lent forward to take it, the Ring falling out of his shirt as he did. Pippin's eyes widened and he reached forward to touch it. Merry grabbed his hand, pulling his cousin back.  
'Shi'y.' The younger frowned. 'Wan' shi'y.'  
Sam leaned over. 'Pippin? Don't you know what that is?'  
Pippin thought for a second and shook his head. Aragorn glanced at the others and said. 'Do you know who we are?'  
He shook his head again, smiling. Legolas sighed and went to tell Gandalf of this development.  
'Yes I feared this might happen.' The old wizard said. 'However I have managed to trace the spell. It should wear off in 24 hours.'  
Legolas nodded and the two returned to the fire, where the others were trying to get Pippin to say their name right.  
'Aragorn.' The ranger stressed each syllable.  
'Ar'go'.' Pippin laughed and the man slumped as his kinsman stepped forward.  
'Boromir.' The Gondor man said.  
'Bo'mir.' The Hobbits laughed at how pleased Pippin looked with himself. As the other two sat down, Gandalf explaining to the others about the spell, the elf tried his own name.  
'Legolas.' He said, pointing at himself for clarification.  
'Leg'las.' Pippin smiled. A thought struck him and he pointed at himself. 'Per'grin.'  
Merry whispered in his ear and he nodded. The older cousin looked up. 'He might answer to Pip. But he prefers his yong name.' He scowled as his lisp came back.  
Aragorn stood up as he finished talking to Gandalf. 'We might as well keep walking.' He said, looking around. 'We can carry the smaller two and give Sam and Frodo help if they need.'  
The others all nodded and Boromir reached out a hand to lift up Merry. Aragorn picked Pippin up, the toddler holding onto the fabric of his left arm. The Hobbit fit between the crook of his elbow and his wrist. Aragorn held him against his chest, nodding at Boromir who was holding Merry in a similar fashion.  
Sam and Frodo got the pony, picking up Merry and Pippin's stuff and piling it on top. Gandalf, Legolas and Gimli pulled out weapons, knowing the men would be unable to fight if anyone attacked.  
As they left, Aragorn looked down at Pippin and almost laughed. The Hobbit was turning around on his arm, climbing up and down his forearm and, every so often, falling sideways and just holding on with his legs. Aragorn lifted the toddler up to hold him against his chest.  
'We wouldn't want you falling would we, Peregrin?'  
Pippin pouted. 'So'y. Wanna p'ay.'  
Aragorn chuckled. Frodo looked up Strider, smiling. 'He won't stay still until he goes to sleep.'  
Legolas, on the other side of the Ringbearer, sighed. 'He's only just woken up. We'll never get him to sleep.'  
Sam chuckled. 'He's a Took and he's 4, just ask Merry to sing him a song.'  
Pippin's eyes widened. 'No 'ong! No slee'!' He began wriggling, jumping out of Aragorn's arms. Legolas caught him mid-jump and held him in a vice grip, handing his bow to Sam.  
'No slee'! No slee'!' Pippin began screaming, drawing attention from the rest of the group. Merry tugged on Boromir's arm and he was passed forward, to Gandalf, to Gimli, to Frodo and finally to Aragorn. Merry looked his cousin in the eye and shouted.  
Pippin froze and looked Merry. Legolas passed the toddler to the child and Merry wrapped Pippin in a hug, whispering a song in his ear. Next to Aragorn, Frodo and Sam began singing the song under their breaths and the non-Hobbits listened in. Merry's voice seemed to lose all faults as it blended with the others.

_Upon the hearth the fire is red,  
Beneath the roof there is a bed;  
But not yet weary are our feet,  
Still round the corner we may meet  
_

Pippin yawned and burrowed his head into Merry's shoulder. The taller members had slowed their walking to listen in. Frodo grinned and shared a look with Gandalf as the song continued.

_A sudden tree or standing stone  
That none have seen but we alone  
Tree and flower and leaf and grass  
Let them pass! Let them pass!_

Pippin fell limp and Merry smiled at the others. Legolas tried to take the smaller one back but he clung to his cousin. Sam laughed.  
'You could never take Pippin to a party. The second someone started singing, he'd fall asleep on the nearest person.  
'Most yikeyy me.' Merry said, smiling fondly.  
With Pippin asleep, they managed to travel a lot quicker. Merry, unable to do anything due to the deadweight on his chest, was asleep after a few hours. Frodo and Sam, with less energy than they normally had were lifted onto the pony, Sam complaining a bit; he was the same age Pippin normally was, he didn't need help. He was satisfied when Gimli reminded him Pippin usually ended being helped/ dragged along by Merry or Frodo.  
When they reached camp, they woke Merry and Pippin up for dinner. Pippin tried to walk again but, after his third failed attempt, Legolas picked him up and took him towards the fire, putting him down on his older cousins lap. Frodo put his hands on the Took's shoulders, trying to keep him still. He accepted food for the both of them, helping the younger Hobbit, whose coordination wasn't very good.  
The conversation quickly turned to the Fellowship's homes with the Shire being the most common. Pippin sat with Frodo, eyes wide and mouth open, as the others accounted stories of his own past. He didn't remember them and thought they were all wonderful. When Legolas and Aragorn began telling stories of their childhoods, Pippin crawled off his cousin's lap and onto the elf's. Gimli laughed at Legolas' shocked expression but the archer quickly schooled his expression and smiled at the child, who had stuck his thumb in his mouth. Merry shuffled over and sat next to Aragorn until, taking the hint, the Ranger lift him onto his lap. He leaned back, closing his eyes and falling asleep. Sam and Frodo laughed under their breaths as Legolas began humming, causing Pippin to nod off as well.  
Boromir took first watch, sitting at the edge of the cave while the older Hobbits took the youngers from Aragorn and Legolas. Pippin was holding tightly to Frodo's shirt while Merry was slumped over Sam's shoulder. The four of them curled up in the corner, Merry's hand searching for Pippin's in his sleep.  
The taller members of the Company woke up to no screaming the next morning. Looking over to Hobbits, they saw Aragorn, who had been on the last watch, standing over the Hobbits and grinning. The rest swarmed around and laughed. Despite having grown to their normal size, they were still in the same position they had started in. Merry was draped over Sam's shoulder, the older Hobbit's head resting on his hip. Pippin had one hand gripping Merry's, the other holding onto Frodo's shirt. The Ringbearer was hugging his cousin.  
As luck would have it, Pippin was the first to wake. Eyes widening, he let go with both hands, waking his cousins. Frodo and Merry fidgeted, waking Sam and making the other five laugh. Merry blushed, remembering the day before but Pippin just looked around in confusion.  
'Why do I get the feeling,' He said in his Tookish accent, looking around the room at all who were laughing at him. 'That I've forgotten something really important?'

A/N: There are probably a few things that are wrong, and people are probably OOC but I've only seen the films.


End file.
